Today we’d like to introduce you to Judy Buchnick.
Judy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I understand what it means to start over in a new country, because I have done it twice. My family moved to South Africa when I was just two months old, and I spent my childhood there until we relocated to Israel when I was 12. Decades later, I made the journey again, this time with my own family, to New Jersey. Both transitions taught me how profoundly language and confidence shape the way a person finds their place in a new world. I never set out to make that my life’s work, but it became the common thread running through my entire career.
I earned my degree in education from Beit Berl College in Israel, specializing in English as a Second Language, and was the first student from my program selected for an academic exchange in Germany. To support myself through college, I waited tables and taught English privately. Many of my students were children returning from years abroad who were determined to keep their English; others were Israeli children striving for fluency. I later completed a master’s degree in Political Science and Communications at Bar-Ilan University.
My path to education was not a straight line. After a year of teaching in a public school, I realized I wanted to broaden my horizons before committing to the classroom. I joined the Israel Innovation Authority, where I helped Israeli companies build partnerships with European counterparts as part of a multi-year European Union program, a role that took me to Brussels regularly. I then spent more than seven years at M-Systems (SanDisk), the company that invented the flash drive. I began as a personal assistant, became the marketing communications lead for the mobile division, and ultimately led the company’s employee volunteering initiatives. Those years gave me a business foundation that no classroom could have provided.
In 2011, an opportunity in my husband Rafi’s career brought us to Demarest for what was meant to be a two-year stay. While raising three young children, I earned my New Jersey ESL certification. Public school positions proved difficult to secure, so I taught Hebrew as a second language at Jewish day schools in Englewood and Teaneck. Alongside that work, I tutored ESL students privately, and before long, demand far exceeded what I could meet on my own. A friend offered a simple suggestion: “Open a business and hire tutors.” Two weeks later, in 2018, JBE Tutoring was born.
We launched with five tutors, all focused on ESL. As our reputation grew, parents began asking whether we could also support their children in math, science, AP subjects, SAT/ACT preparation, college essays and more. We embraced every request, and the business grew with each one.
When the pandemic moved education online, we saw an opportunity to innovate. In 2021, we introduced live online group programs for children, with dedicated groups for native English speakers and for students learning English as a second language. At a time when children were especially isolated, these groups gave them both meaningful learning and a sense of connection. What began as a response to the pandemic has become one of our signature programs. Today we run more than 25 groups, all led by U.S.-based teachers.
Today, JBE Tutoring is a team of more than 70 experienced tutors covering every academic subject. We serve learners from kindergarten through adulthood, in homes throughout Bergen County and online across the United States and around the world. ESL remains at the heart of our mission. In addition to our online groups, we offer “English in Pajamas,” a conversation program designed to build fluency and confidence; corporate ESL programs for international professionals; and summer “soft landing” workshops that help newcomer families adjust to American schools and culture. We also host complimentary webinars on topics such as navigating the American education system and preparing for job interviews.
What inspires me most may seem surprising for a business owner: the day a family tells me they no longer need our services. That moment means a student has found their confidence, and confidence is the foundation on which everything else is built. Sixteen years after our “two-year” move, Demarest is home. Helping others find their footing, just as I once had to, remains the most rewarding part of my work.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not at all. If there is one thing I have learned as a business owner, it is that challenges don’t disappear as a company grows; they multiply. Every stage of growth has brought new opportunities, and with them a new set of challenges. A larger business means more students, more families, more tutors and more moving parts, and every one of them deserves the same level of care and attention we gave when we were just starting out.
One of my greatest ongoing challenges is finding the right tutors. Credentials and subject expertise are essential, but they are only the beginning. I’m looking for educators who are patient, reliable and able to connect with a student, people who can build trust with a family and represent our standards in every session. Exceptional tutors are rare, and as we have grown to more than 70, the search has become a constant part of my work.
Equally important, and in many ways harder, is keeping great tutors with us. Good educators are in high demand, and I never take them for granted. I work hard to support our tutors, communicate openly with them, and make sure they feel valued as part of the JBE family. When a tutor feels appreciated, it shows in the way they teach, and our students are the ones who benefit.
At the heart of everything is making sure every family is happy and that every student has the right match. A successful match goes beyond pairing a subject with a tutor. It means understanding a student’s personality, learning style, goals and even their schedule, and finding the educator who fits all of it. When a match works, the results can be transformative. When it doesn’t, I take it personally, and I work quickly to make it right. Keeping families satisfied takes constant communication, careful listening and a genuine commitment to each student’s success.
Behind the scenes, another major challenge has been finding the right technology to support our growth. Running a tutoring company means managing billing, calendars, session scheduling, tutor hours, progress reports and much more, often with changes coming in from families and tutors at the same time. Finding a single system that handles all of it smoothly, and is easy for tutors, families and our team to use, has been an ongoing search. What worked for a small team doesn’t always work for a company of our size, so we continue to evaluate and refine our tools to keep operations running efficiently.
None of this gets easier as we grow; it simply becomes more important. But I have come to see these challenges as a reflection of the trust families and tutors place in us. Each one pushes me to do better, and that is what has allowed JBE Tutoring to keep growing while staying true to the personal approach we started with.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have always been drawn to art. I discovered my artistic side while studying education, and painting has been part of my life ever since. It is where I go to slow down, think freely and express myself. Over the years, I have come to realize that creativity doesn’t stay on the canvas. It shapes how I cook, how I teach and, perhaps most of all, how I run my business.
Balancing that creative side is my love of sports. I play volleyball, pickleball and tennis, and I am a regular at the gym. Staying active keeps me energized, clears my mind and often gives me my best ideas. Team sports in particular have taught me lessons I bring into my business every day: how to work as a team, how to stay focused under pressure, and how to pick yourself up after a tough game and come back stronger.
Professionally, I am the founder of JBE Tutoring, an education company with more than 70 certified tutors serving students from kindergarten through adulthood, in Bergen County, across the United States and around the world. We cover every academic subject, from math and science to world languages, college essays and SAT/ACT preparation, with a special focus on English as a Second Language. That specialty is close to my heart because I have lived it. I have started over in a new country twice, and I understand firsthand how language and confidence shape the way a person finds their place.
People often think of business as numbers and logistics, but building a company from nothing is a deeply creative act. Every day requires imagination: finding new ways to reach students, solving problems that have no ready-made answer, and seeing possibilities where others might see obstacles. Many of our most successful programs began as an idea and a blank page. “English in Pajamas” is a relaxed online conversation program that helps learners build fluency and confidence. Our summer “soft landing” workshops help newcomer families adjust to American schools and culture. When the pandemic disrupted education, we responded by creating live online group programs for children, which have since grown to more than 25 groups taught by U.S.-based teachers.
What I am perhaps best known for is matching, and I truly see it as an art. Pairing a student with the right tutor goes far beyond matching a subject to a résumé. It means reading personalities, understanding learning styles, listening closely to what a family hopes to achieve, and bringing together two people who will truly connect. When I get it right, the results can change a student’s entire relationship with learning.
What sets JBE Tutoring apart is that personal, thoughtful approach. We are not a large, impersonal agency. Every family gets attention, care and a match made with intention. I also bring a perspective shaped by three countries, many years in the business and technology world, and my own experience as a newcomer, which helps me understand the students and families we serve on a deeper level.
What I am most proud of is not just how much we have grown, from five tutors to more than 70, but the confidence our students gain along the way. The most meaningful moment for me is when a family tells me their child no longer needs tutoring. To me, that is the ultimate success: a student who now believes in themselves. That, more than anything, is the masterpiece I am proudest of.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I believe luck plays a role in every story, but I’ve learned that what matters most is what you do with it. Some of the most important turning points in my life looked like simple chance at the time. Others looked like bad luck. Looking back, both shaped the path that led me here.
Some of my greatest good fortune came early. I met my husband, Rafi, by chance while serving in the army, when he came to visit his brother, who was serving alongside me. Years later, an opportunity in his career brought our family to the United States for what was meant to be just two years. Neither of those moments was planned, yet together they shaped the life we built and ultimately the business I founded. Demarest has been our home ever since.
Then there was what felt like bad luck. When I arrived in New Jersey, I worked hard to earn my ESL certification, fully expecting to teach in a public school. Those positions proved extremely difficult to secure. At the time, it was discouraging. In hindsight, it may have been one of the luckiest setbacks of my life. That closed door led me to teach Hebrew, to begin tutoring privately, and eventually to discover how many families were searching for personalized support.
Even the moment JBE Tutoring was born came down to a bit of luck: a conversation with a friend at exactly the right time. She looked at how much demand I had and said, “Open a business and hire tutors.” Many people hear good advice and set it aside. I acted on it, and two weeks later, the company was official.
The pandemic is perhaps the clearest example of turning bad luck into opportunity. Almost overnight, education was disrupted for families everywhere. It was a difficult and uncertain time, but it pushed us to innovate. We created live online group programs for children, and what began as a response to a crisis has grown into more than 25 groups and one of our signature programs.
So yes, luck has played a role, both good and bad. But I have come to believe that luck only opens the door. Hard work, persistence and a willingness to take risks are what carry you through it. The opportunities that changed my life didn’t come with instructions. I had to recognize them, say yes, and do the work. And when bad luck came along, the key was refusing to see it as the end of the story, and instead asking what new possibility it might be creating.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jbe-t.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jbetutoring/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JBEtutoring
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/35511740/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMTOtuwF_6LiExZM61NyKsw
- Other: https://www.jbe4b.com
